Wooly Mammoths

Mammumuthus Primigenius

A herd of wooly mammoths

I swear, these thing are related

Habitat

Wooly mammoths lived during the Pliocene epoch of the Neogene Era. The oldest fossils are dated around 200, 000 years ago. Wooly mammoths lived in eastern Asia during the last ice age. It was adapted for long, intensely cold winters with long hair covering its body to insulate heat and a short tail and ears to minimize heat loss. Mammoths were herd animals, similar to modern elephants. Mammoth herds were most likely comprised of a matriarch, several mammoth calves, and direct female relatives.

The only living mammoth left today. Cute, isn't it?

Cause of Extinction

Mammoths lived alongside early humans. The humans hunted mammoths and salvaged remains for bones, teeth, and meat. The bones and teeth were used by humans for art, shelter, and tools. Eventually, a combination of over-hunting and climate change drove mammoths to extinction. Due to the highly specialized nature of mammoth evolution for an ice age climate, mammoths went extinct partially because they could not change fast enough to account for the rapid climate change near the end of the ice age. In addition, humans out-competed mammoths for certain resources and hunted them using then-advanced tools such as spears and arrows until mammoths eventually went extinct.